Cheesey Fondue

Ingredients:

·       2 cups lightly packed shredded Gruyere cheese (about 8 ounces)

·       1 1/2 cups lightly packed shredded Swiss cheese (about 6 ounces)

·       2 tablespoons cornstarch

·       1 cup low-sodium, good-quality chicken broth

·       1/8 teaspoon lemon juice (don't leave this out! I just gave a quick squeeze of a lemon without properly measuring)

·       1 tablespoon finely minced or pressed garlic

·       1/4 teaspoon ground black or white pepper

·       1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

·       Dash of paprika

Instructions

1.       Place both the shredded Gruyere and Swiss cheeses in a gallon-size resealable bag with the cornstarch and shake until evenly coated.

2.       In a stovetop-safe fondue pot (or in a regular saucepan or electric fondue pot), add the chicken broth, lemon juice, and garlic and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Add the cheese, a small handful at a time, stirring constantly, but not briskly. It works best to use a wooden spoon and and stir in an S-shaped motion, making sure to scrape the bottom of the pot so it doesn't burn.

3.       Once the cheese is melted and begins to just barely simmer, add the remaining spices and move it immediately to the table on the fondue stand with the sterno flame below. It should be the consistency of warm honey. Add more or less cheese for perfect consistency and additional salt and pepper to taste if needed.

4.       Serve with your favorite fondue dippers: steamed broccoli and/or cauliflower, carrots, apples, chicken sausages, bread (and more bread!), lightly sauteed mushrooms, tender potatoes - the options are endless!

Notes

Don't use pre-shredded cheese. It has a very different consistency than what you grate yourself - worth the tiny bit of extra work, I promise!

Yield: 4-6 servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

From: Mel’s Kitchen Café  https://www.melskitchencafe.com/classic-fondue-recipe/

White Sandwich Bread

Ingredients

• 6 1/2 to 7 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour 
• 2 1/2 teaspoons salt 
• 1 1/2 tablespoons instant yeast 
• 1/4 cup sugar or honey 
• 2 3/4 cups very warm water 
• 1/4 cup neutral-flavored oil (vegetable) 
• Butter for top of loaves, optional

Instructions

1. In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the dough hook (or in a large bowl, if making the dough by hand), combine THREE cups of the flour, salt, yeast and sugar.
2. Add the water and oil and mix until combined. The mixture will be thinner than bread dough.
3. Cover the bowl and let the batter rest for 10 minutes; it will be slightly bubbly at the end.
4. With the mixer running (or stirring by hand), gradually add another 3 to 4 cups of flour, until the dough comes together in a cohesive ball that clears the bottom and sides of the bowl and doesn't leave a lot of doughy residue on your fingers when touched while still being just slightly tacky (not overfloured and dense).
5. Knead for about 2 minutes until the dough is smooth and supple.
6. Lightly grease a large bowl. Transfer the dough to the prepared bowl, cover with greased plastic wrap or a light kitchen towel, and let rise until doubled, about an hour or so, depending on the warmth of your kitchen.
7. Lightly punch down the dough and divide it into two equal pieces. (Use a food scale to get them as close to equal as possible.)
8. Grease two 8 1/2-inch by 4 1/2-inch bread pans.
9. Press each piece of dough into a thick rectangle about 8-inches long; roll it up, pressing on the seams, and pinching the final seam together.
10. Place the dough loaves into the prepared pans.
11. Cover with lightly greased plastic wrap or thin kitchen towels and let rise until doubled and the dough has risen about 1-inch above the top rim of the pan, about an hour or so, depending on the warmth of your kitchen.
12. While the dough rises, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
13. Bake the bread for 30-32 minutes until golden and baked through.
14. Remove from the oven and turn the bread out onto a wire rack. Immediately brush the tops of the loaves with melted butter (or use a stick of butter, peeling the paper back and rubbing it on the top of the hot bread).
15. Let the bread cool completely.
16. The bread can be stored at room temperature, covered in a bread bag, for a couple days, or frozen for up to a month or so.

Notes:

If you don't have instant yeast, you can dissolve the same amount of yeast in 1/4 cup water with a pinch of sugar until it is foamy and bubbly and then use it in the recipe (add it with the oil and water). 

As with all yeast doughs, particularly bread dough, I use the flour amount in the recipe as a guideline and encourage you to do the same. The exact amount of flour you use will depend on how you measure flour, the climate and temperature where you live (humidity can be a factor), and several other things. Add flour gradually until the texture of the dough is soft, smooth, and only just slightly tacky to the touch.

https://www.melskitchencafe.com/perfect-white-sandwich-bread/ 

Banana Bread

Ingredients:

6 Large or 8 medium very ripe bananas

4 Eggs

2 Cups Sugar

3/4 Cups Oil

4 Cups Flour

1 tsp Baking Soda

2 tsp Salt

2 tsp Baking Powder

Directions:

Grease and flour 2 large loaf pans then set aside.  In a large mixing bowl peel bananas and mash well. Add eggs, sugar, and oil then mix till well blended.  In a separate bowl mix flour, baking soda, salt and baking powder.  Add flour mixture to banana mixture.  Mix until blended but do not over mix.  Pour into prepared pans.  Add Crumble Topping if desired.  Then bake at 325 for 45-50 minutes or until wooden toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.  

Makes 2 large loaves.

Makes about 12 small loaves.  Note if making smaller loaves bake at 325 for 25-30 minutes.  

Cheese Fondue

Tips:

   1. Make sure everything is prepped before you turn the stove on.  

   2. Don't try and make the fondue in the pot. Do it on the stove first and transfer to the fondue pot after it's prepared.

   3. Do not leave the cheese unattended after you've started - it will either clump, scorch or curdle if you walk away - don't know why, but it always. 

Ingredients:

2 lbs. Grated Cheese (I prefer White Cheddar).

4 Cups Melting Liquid (This can be sparkling cider, or beverage of your choice that starts with a "B" and ends with an "R".)

4 Tbsp. Corn Starch

Hot Sauce to Taste

Garlic Powder to Taste

Directions:

1. Heat the melting liquid over a medium high flame. 

2. Take half of the cheese and toss in a separate bowl with the corn starch. (Keep the rest of the cheese in reserve.) 

3. When the melting liquid is simmering, add the cheese that has been tossed with the corn starch.  

4. Stirring until it has melted and been incorporated.  

5. Add in the rest of the cheese and the hot sauce and garlic powder to your taste preferences.  

6. Never add more cheese until the previous addition has been melted and incorporated.  Bring up to a melting point.  

7. Transfer to a fondue pot over a flame to keep warm. 

8. Stir the pot as necessary to prevent scorching. 

Serves 4 people

Serve with:

Bread

Veggies (Broccoli, Carrots)

Granny Smith Apples

Pretzels 

Tortilla Chips 

Stuffed French Toast

Ingredients:
2 packages ( 8 oz. each) Cream Cheese, softened
1 bag (12-16 oz.) frozen Berries, thawed
2 Tablespoons Sugar
2 loafs of Bread
18-24 Eggs, beaten
*You can substitute the berries and sugar with jam.

Mix cream cheese, berries and sugar. Spread cream cheese mixture between 2 pieces of bread. Refrigerate overnight and then cook it like regular French toast. Heat skillet on medium. Dip sandwiches in egg mixture. Place on hot skillet or griddle. Let cook till egg on bottom turns
brown. Flip and cook on other side. Try not to keep flipping. You can peak to tell if it is getting done. You can serve it with powdered sugar & a few berries on the top, syrup, or preserves. This will make about 24 sandwiches. 

Zucchini Bread

Mix Together:
3 eggs
2 cups sugar
2 cups grated zucchini
1 cup cooking oil
1 Tbsp vanilla

Sift Together:
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp nutmeg
3 cups flour

Directions:
Combine all the wet ingredients and mix well.  Add the dry ingredients to mixture and mix well.  Grease loaf pans and line the bottom with parchment paper then pour in the mixture.  Bake at 350 for 45-50 mins.

After bread has cooled coat with the butter glaze

Butter Glaze:
1/3 cup butter
1 tsp vanilla
3-4 cups powder sugar
hot water

Directions:
Melt butter, mix in vanilla.  Sift in powder sugar adding a little bit at a time then adding small amounts of hot water at a time.  Mix each time until smooth.  After all powder sugar is mixed in add enough water to make glaze thin but not too runny.  Using a pasty brush ice zucchini bread, let dry. Serve and enjoy.